To blog? Or not to blog?

Cision Blog talks to Fusion PR’s Bob Geller about the dual role of blogger and media relations professional

During the current explosion of social media and blogs, many public relations people are wondering if they should begin blogging themselves. There are quite a few high-profile bloggers who are also PR pros, from SHIFT Communications‘ Todd Defren and his PR Squared blog, to Jason Falls at Social Media Explorer, from Brian Solis of Future Works and his PR 2.0 blog, to Fusion PR‘s Bob Geller and his blog Flack’s Revenge. So what are the benefits to being a media relations professional and a blogger? Should YOU start a blog?

I recently spoke with Bob Geller about his dual role. Geller is Senior Vice President at Fusion PR and started the Flack’s Revenge blog almost exactly two years ago in late November 2006. Geller encourages anyone to consider blogging as long as they have something relevant, unique and/or original to blog about. “It’s difficult to talk about something no one else is talking about,” Geller said. “But if you’re going to blog about it, you should have an interesting take or original idea on the subject.” Geller himself has a unique perspective on PR and social media that is evident on his blog because of his background in the tech industry, from sales, marketing and PR to his engineering degree that includes specializations and graduate-level work in microprocessors and digital signal processing.

Media relations pros in particular can benefit from blogging according to Geller. In his post, “I am in PR. Why should I blog?” he discusses how blogging forces you to write in a creative and engaging manner, come up with interesting ideas and concepts and stay up-to-date on important issues. “So what?” you ask?
As Geller says, “If you are in PR and don’t think these skills are important, you might as well look for another gig or be content to be just another hack in the business.”

Regardless of whether or not you decide to blog, there are a few fundamentals of participating in social media in all its forms that ring true in almost every situation. As Jay discussed in his post earlier this week, “When you’re planning a social media outreach strategy, find your constituents where they live.” Applying this to blogging, it is important to find out who is already blogging about the topics you want to blog about, where they are blogging, who they are blogging about, etc. and then assess where you can fit into that mix. Secondly, it’s always important to approach each social media project with honesty, transparency and a goal. When deciding whether or not to blog, think about your goals and your intentions. What specific focus will your blog have? What do you want to accomplish by writing the blog? If your blog is too self-promotional or isn’t written in your true voice, your audience will notice and eventually disappear.

If you’re able to stay honest and transparent, have unique ideas and a focus, and are ready to fine-tune your writing skills, get that blog started!

Subscribe to the Cision Blog

One of PRWeek’s 40 under 40 in 2012, Heidi Sullivan is Senior Vice President of Digital Content for Cision and a self-proclaimed social media metrics nerd. She leads the company’s digital and broadcast content teams, the global research team for Cision’s media database, Cision’s social media community team and the company’s content marketing strategy. You can find her on Twitter @hksully.